I am a .NET programmer. What are the specific uses of Python and / or Ruby to make me more productive?

Question

I remember when I first read the Pragmatic Programmer that they suggested using scripting languages ​​to make you a more productive programmer.

I am in a difficult position putting it into practice.

I want to know the specific ways to use Python or Ruby for me as a more productive .NET developer.

One specific way to answer, and even better if you can tell if I can use Python or Ruby or Both for it.

See the standard format below.

Answer 1

IronPython / IronRuby

IronPython in action will better explain this (and exactly how it is best to use IronPython), which can be placed in the SO response. I am biased - I was a technical reviewer and am a friend of one of the authors, but objectively I consider this a wonderful book. (I don't know if IronRuby would be blessed with such a wonderful book, though).

How do you want “one specific way for each answer” (incompatible with SO, which STRONGLY discourages a poster publishing 25 different answers if they have 25 “specific ways” to indicate ...! -): prototyping to learn which Either a specific assembly or collection that you are not familiar with (to check whether you understand their rights correctly and how to perform certain tasks) is much more productive in IronPython than in C #, since you can explore interactively and compile instantly and by necessary. (I have not tried IronRuby, but I assume that it can work about the same and fast).

Answer 2

Smaller code

I think that performance directly depends on how much you know a certain language. However, compressing a language such as Python can save some time on certain actions.

If I compare how much less code I have to write for simple administration scripts (for example, to clean old files) compared to .NET code, there is a certain amount of performance gain. (Plus it's more fun, which also helps to get the job done)

Answer 3

Advanced word processing

Traditional strengths are awk and perl. You can simply glue together a bunch of regular expressions to create a simple data mining system on the go.

Answer 4

Learning a new language gives you knowledge that you can return to any programming language. Here are some things you will learn.

Add functionality to your facilities on the fly.

Mix in modules.

Skip the code snippet around.

Find out how to do more with less code : ruby -e "puts 'hello world'"

C # can do some of these things, but a fresh perspective can bring you one step closer to automating your breakfast.

Answer 5

Turn on engine script

Using IronPython for the scripting engine inside your .NET application. For example, so that the end users of your application can modify custom parts using a complete language such as Python.

A possible example would be to expose user logic to end users of a workflow engine.

Answer 6

Rapid Prototyping - Both

In the simplest cases, when starting a python interpreter and writing a line or two is faster than creating a new project in a visual studio.

And you can use ruby ​​to. Or lua, or evel perl, whatever. A point is implicit typing and a light feeling.

Answer 7

Cross platform

Compared to .NET, a simple Python script is easier to port to other platforms such as Linux. Despite the fact that you can achieve the same as that of Mono, it is easier to run the Python script file on different platforms.

Answer 8

Processing Received Email

Python has built-in support for POP3 and IMAP, where the standard .NET platform does not work. Useful for automating email-initiated tasks.